Chapter 23
Jake
I sat on top of the cave, watching daybreak. The sky's normal deep blue lightened over the rising sun, adding wisps of green and violet. Some fluffy white clouds seemed to open up to let the sun through.
Somehow the beautiful sight didn't help my mood. I was starving, tired,
confused and helpless. Stranded on a distant planet with dangerous natives-and half my friends were no where to be found.
A crisp morning wind tousled my hair as I sighed.
Marco climbed up and sat beside me.
"How is she?" I asked, still watching the sun.
He didn't have to ask who. "She's sleeping, but she's got a high fever. Lani says
that only happens when there's something really wrong." He shook his head. "I just don't know what to make of those guys, man. Or what to make of this. We're kind of stuck in a rut here."
I knew he wanted me to tell him what to do. They all did. They needed direction and I was supposed to give it to them. And I wanted to. I wanted to be a perfect leader with all the answers. I wanted to lead them.
But I couldn't. So all I said was,
"Let's go find some food."
Marco and I clumsily climbed the trees, looking for anything edible. We didn't really have any morphs that handled trees really well. So we just stayed us.
"Hey, man!" Marco called. I turned my head to see him.
"What?"
He picked a round fruit that looked vaguely like an orange. "Is this stuff food?"
"Why don't you take a bite out of it and test it?" I said with a laugh.
"Uh-uh. Nooo way. I'm not coming down with no alien jungle fever from eating poisonous fruit. I'll take some back to Kai and she can tell us whether it will kill us or not."
We came back with armfuls of various fruits when it was probably around 8 o'clock standard earth time.
What I saw wasn't really encouraging. Everyone was moping. Kai looked dead, Lani was leaning against the wall, picking her nail polish, and even Ax looked down.
"Well, this is a happy bunch," Marco said, handing a fruit to Lani.
She took it halfheartedly and held it.
"Hey, Ax? Wanna morph human and eat some of this, since there's no grass around here?"
Yes, Prince Jake. I think I'll do that.
We ate in silence. By then we were all beyond caring whether or not it was safe, we just wanted food.
"I really want a cheeseburger right now." Lani said out of the blue. "I nice, big cheeseburger-with large fries. Or pizza. Peparoni. Hmm…stir fried chicken would be pretty good right now too."
"Stop it!" Marco complained. "It's torture!"
She smiled and closed her eyes. "Panda Express…Teriyaki! Hmmm breakfast burritos…Lasanga…"
Marco groaned and fell back, clutching his stomach.
I laughed as Ax ate the rind on his 'orange'.
We weren't dead yet. We'd survive.
